Sledding At Arbuckle

Jason and I loved taking Hollis sledding on Tuesday. Poor thing is used to sledding down the 2 foot "bump" in our backyard, so this was a very big deal, indeed.

A Wonderful Christmas

"Love is what's in the room with you at Christmas if you stop opening presents and listen."
Author unknown
It's hard to believe the presents are unwrapped, Emma is back at the North Pole, the leftovers are eaten and the Christmas tree comes down today. We had such a nice Christmas this year and once again I was humbled by the generosity of our families!!Although we weren't all together this Christmas, we could certainly feel your love.

Christmas Eve Magic

Our Christmas Eve was celebrated with a 5:00 service at church, pizza and the viewing of Bing Crosby's White Christmas for the 3rd time today. The cookies were placed by the fire and the reindeer food was spread in the front yard. Hollis was put to bed by candlelight tonight, a tradition I had read about in a book and thought was sweet.
I was figuring that she would be wiped out by all the days festivities but she proved me wrong once again. We have caught her peeking out her window several times and as I post this, it is 10:30 and she is still not asleep.I have to say, I just love seeing her this excited about Christmas!
With that said, it is time for this tired Mama to retire to bed herself.
Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!

Christmas Secrets

Hollis is really into the present thing this year. Not a day goes by that I don't hear,"Mama, I can't wait till Christmas to open my presents."
After a wrapping session with her Dad in the basement, she comes up and says,"Mom, you are Not getting a robe for your birthday(Never mind my birthday is in Nov.). And it's NOT red."
Something similiar happened last night to her Dad. The conversation went something like this:
Jason: "Let's watch Miracle on 34th Street tonight."
Hollis: "We can't watch that. We have it already, Dad."
Jason: "No we don't."
Hollis: "Yes we do. Mama and I got it for your birthday (Never mind his birthday is also in Nov.). I wrapped it and put it under the tree so we can't watch it tonight."
Moral of the story: Do not tell Hollis any Christmas/Birthday secrets unless you really want the other person to know what they are getting.!

A Well Deserved Break

This is the scene in my family room right now. It is also one of my favorite days of the year. Today was Jason's last day at work for about 45 days. I wish for this day so many times a year..it is hard to believe it is actually here. So, here's to many more nights playing heated games of Memory by the fire and hopes of having many more glimpses like these for the next 45 days!

Emma the Elf

Don't adjust your computer screens, folks. Yes, that's right. There is an elf residing with the LePages. Emma is her name and her main job is to watch over Miss Hollis everyday and report back to the "Big Man" every night on her behavior. After her report, she flies back down and perches/hangs in another part of our house to let us know she has done her job the night before. She is always out of Hollis' reach because she will lose her magical powers if Hollis touches her(and we all know how curious Hollis is).
Emma is only with us 2 more nights and then Santa brings her back to the North Pole when(if???) he leaves Hollis her goodies.Our family will miss him-especially Hollis who can find this little imp in about 3 seconds flat when she gets out of bed in the morning.

A Chuckle for your Monday(at my expense)

Last Friday Hollis and I were finishing up the last of our Christmas shopping and one of my favorite Michael Buble songs came on the radio. Hollis likes it too and will sing along when she hears it. So, I turn it up and really start belting it out. The song ends and I turn off the car and get ready to drag her into Best Buy. As I unbuckle her seatbelt she looks at me and says, "Wow Mom, you sound just like him."
(Flashback: To the time in a seafood restaurant ladies bathroom in NC when a young child mistakened my voice for a mans. Now I am really starting to have a complex!!!)
Sue, you may stop laughing now.

Fun with Girlfriends

We had a cookie decorating party with girlfriends from our dance class this week. It is funny how we just met in August and we all have quickly become good friends-it felt like God handpicked them just for me! It's a double blessing since all of our kids get along. These women helped me remember to focus on the important things in life(that's what brushes with cancer and raising 4 kids does to you!) I didn't get any pictures of the Mommys-we were too busy cutting the cookies for the girls to decorate.

Christmas Festivities

The Polar Express library program is one I look forward to all year(not so sure if Hollis feels the same way) and it never disappoints. From the golden tickets and bells to a visit from Mrs. Claus, I am always in awe of the dedication and passion of the library staff. I am convinced we have the best little library this side of the Mason Dixon!

First Snow of the Season

We awoke to a light dusting of powder on Monday morning. It might as well have been 12 feet to Hollis, she was so excited! I loved it because it was gone by 2pm! Truth be told, I have to agree with my snow loving midwestern husband-having snow this time of year does make the season a bit more magical-but for the record, I could do without the 58 mph Indiana winds!

Friends

We had a house full of friendship and laughter Sat night with the Hedenbergs and the Thawleys. Hollis was in her element(check out the pink get-up she answered the door in!) with all her friends running around the house-plus a showing of the Polar Express with popcorn never hurts either! My camera didn't have a shutter speed fast enough to get a really good picture! HA!
Sunday brought Walk to Bethleham with friends Gracie and Sophie.

Headlock Central

We all agree that Hollis needs a little brother or sister to play with, but no one agrees more than Wrigley.

Visions of Sugar Plums Danced in her Head...

I snapped this picture of Hollis last night...she looked so sweet all snuggled up in her bed and dreaming.
I am reminded of a quote from Ralph Waldo Emerson
"There was never a child so lovely but his mother was glad to get him to sleep."

A Confession...

Hollis is a pretty high maintenance kid when the bedtime hour arrives. She requires much prodding to get upstairs, get her PJ's on, teeth brushed, devotionals read and then it is story time. Jason usually reads 3-4 books and then I am usually recruited to read 2 more. After that comes the obligatory drink of water, angel song, prayers and "monster spray"(to discourage the monsters from bothering her at night-especially one named "Steve" who must really pester her). Finally, it is time to push "play" on her CD player and pray the music is to her liking.To be quite honest, I am spent around 9:15 at night and there is nothing I want more than to put her in her little bed, kiss her goodnight, and turn out the lights. So, needless to say, I am really, really lucky to have a spouse who helps carry 75% of the load at night.
One of Hollis' favorite books to read with Jason is "I Spy". I loathe this book and she knows that so she no longer asks me to read it. I am in no mood to look for little characters in a book for 25 minutes at that hour at night. Jason, on the other hand, endures it every night and didn't seem to mind, I assumed, until the truth came out last night. This is the conversation I had with him at 9:30 last night after the reading of "I Spy."
"Wow, Honey, you deserve a purple heart for reading that book."
"Yeah, I know," he says while brushing his teeth.
"Well, she knows better than ask me to read it, because it is not gonna happen," I assert.

"SHHHH," he says( his eyes as wide as saucers at this point), "I just KICKED it under her dresser."
Everyone has a breaking point, I guess.

The Simple Things..

AHH... brand new warm pjs, a cozy fire,hot chocolate with lots of marshmellows and Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer on tv. Does life get ANY better than this? Hope your evening is as blissfully simple!

Daddy's Girl

Hollis has become quite a Daddy's girl as of late. She constantly is asking when he is coming home, when his next day off is, if we can go visit him at work, etc etc. This is such a change from even last year when she needed/wanted me to do everything with her or for her. So, I am enjoying this "changing of the guard" a little bit; it is refreshing to witness that sweet Daddy/Daughter bond develop.

The other night, Hollis was watching TV and pops her head over the couch and says to the both of us sitting at the kitchen table, "I am going to ask the NICE ONE this question. DAD, can I have some ice cream?"

I almost wet my pants I was laughing so hard.Clearly, in her eyes, I am NOT the nice one. That is ok, I guess she'd better get used to it sooner than later.

She drove her point home even further on Friday night around 8:00. Jason was still at the club and she asked when he was coming home. I told her probably in the next 30 minutes. She looks and me and says,"Hey Mom, thanks for babysitting me all day while Daddy was at work."

Babysittter. That's what I've been reduced to. Good thing babysitters around Zionsville make a pretty penny. No more pro bono for me!! :)

Thankful

Our Zionsville Thanksgiving was pretty low key this year. A warm fire all day long,watching the entire Macy's parade, a bountiful Thanksgiving feast, a nice nap and the annual LePage tradition..construction of the gingerbread house. The only way it could have been better is if everyone we hold near and dear could have been here to enjoy the day with us. To sum up the way I feel right now:

"God is so good,

God is so good,

God is so good, He's so good to me."

Lazy 5 Ranch

Although this is a continuation of my previous NC post, this one DESERVES a post all it's own.

Lazy 5 Ranch is located in Mooresville, NC on a wildlife perserve. It's a very, let's say, interactive preserve. The animals actually dine from the inside of your vehicle. It was the most fun I've had in a long long time(despite the fact that Hollis was on the floorboard of the car crying at one point in game). So if you don't mind a little water buffalo slobber or a goat beating his head against your SUV door or a giraffe having a snack through your sunroof or scaring the bejesus out of your 4 year old, I highly recommend this place!

Birthdays, BBQ and Water Buffalo (Oh MY!)

I (heart) NC.

Too many of the things I love..too far from the people I love...

It is hard to believe we have been back from Winston a week now. Our visit was filled with all things familiar- BBQ, a trip to Mrs Hanes cookie factory, a stroll through Thruway, a yummy brunch at the Dessertery, a scrumptous birthday cake from Dewey's Bakery, a picnic at Tanglewood and the spotting of deer there, Bojangles fried chicken and sweet tea-just to name a few. There is nothing like coming home after I have been away for awhile, the familiar sights, sounds and food, the genuine friendliness and graciousness of the South, the sweet, soothing Southern accent that is music to my ears, the beauty of the piedmont which I took for granted while growing up there.Most imporantly, nothing compares to being surrounded by people who know all about you but love you anyway-Family. The older I get, the more I realize that kid from Kansas was right after all.

There is no place like home...